Category Archives: Spirituality

Spirituality

Deciding Moments

In the movie, The Rookie, high school baseball coach Jim Morris has a serious talk with his team after a loss. Morris observed during the game that his team had given up. They quit on their coach, but more importantly they quit on themselves. Coach Morris challenged them to want more from their lives.

The boys on the team turned the challenge around on their coach. Morris had, at one time, shown great promise as a Major League pitcher but a shoulder injury cut his dream short. The team, which had previously only won one single game in the seasons prior, got their coach to agree to try out for a professional baseball team if the high school team won district. Morris agreed, and then the team won 17 straight games. They had a deciding moment which gave them purpose.

God gives us moments in life where we are challenged to do more than we have before. He gives us the right to decide to take the challenge or back away. This is where free will and purpose intersect. It’s always our choice which road we choose.

When your deciding moments present themselves, I encourage you to take a risk. You may be scared, but remember, God will be with you. He isn’t in the business of abandonment…

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Spirituality

Killing Conformity

Conformity kills creativity and individuality. Yes, people like to fit in, to be part of a group or movement. But where’s the excitement in that if you lose your identity for the sake of the group?

You were created to make a difference in this world. Your unique gifts and talents are yours and yours alone. No one like you has ever been created and never will be. Be willing to show yourself to the world without reservation.

Be prepared. The critics will be waiting to tear you apart. Pay no attention to them. Those people are small thinkers who are projecting their insecurities onto you. Keep pursuing your purpose and leave the critics in the mire.

Time on this side of life is finite. Fulfilling your God-given purpose will impact your life in eternity. Don’t waste another moment. As John Wayne said, “you’re burning daylight.” It’s time to begin…

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Spirituality

The Quiet

Every day, I begin my morning by just being quiet. No music, podcasts or anything else. Just the quiet. It’s the best way I know to set the tone for the upcoming, busy, noisy day.

We have become accustomed to noise. Traffic sounds, television ads, even podcasts bring stimuli into our minds. Our brains require noise to feel “normal.”

Have you ever gone out to the country and walked around an open field? The only sounds we might hear are the wind or perhaps a cow mooing. It’s quite peaceful. It’s interesting how quickly our minds adjust to the lack of noise. Then we want more.

Some people are uncomfortable with the quiet. They get antsy or fidgety. If this is you, I encourage you to work through this. Just sit quietly for 30 seconds. The next day try for 60 seconds. It will take time to adjust, but you will get there if you don’t give up.

Enjoy your quiet moments. The world and its constant noise will be there when you’re ready…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Heads Down

Sometimes a person will yell “look out” or “heads up” when they are trying to get your attention. Oftentimes this is to warn the other person of potential danger. It has certainly helped me in the past.

We have a world filled with people whose heads are down. Their phone screens have dominated their attention. Countless times I have had to stop my car quickly because someone is walking in front of my vehicle in a parking lot, unaware of how close they got to ending up in a hospital.

There is nothing so important that it can’t wait a few moments until you are out of potential danger. The same goes for texting while driving. It can wait.

We only get one chance to make a mistake. Many are unavoidable, but some that are due to our minds being lost to our screens can be avoided.

Keep your head up…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Checking The Box

For years, I attended the 7:30 am church service at a local Catholic Church. Going to the early service guaranteed I could be out of there by 8:05. I was, as the title says, checking the box.

Fortunately I woke up and realized I was wasting time. Through the recommendation of a friend, I found a church home. Instead of checking the box, I found myself energized to learn more about God and experience more of him. The relationship went from transactional to relational. I’m glad I woke up and came to life.

Many people are going to jobs they don’t like. They are just getting through the week, waiting for the weekend to arrive. How can you be effective at your career when you aren’t engaged? You can’t.

It’s a worthwhile investment in yourself to take inventory of your life. Are you living, or just existing? If you find yourself checking the box in any area of your life, it might be time for a new direction.

Make the change…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Silence is Golden

In The Book of James, we are instructed to “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” In today’s world where everyone believes their voice must be louder than the rest, this is a welcome admonishment.

The tongue can be a dangerous weapon. We should always be ourselves, but it’s a solid idea to choose our words wisely. A misspoken word has the potential to do great harm. Being willing to listen more than we talk is a good starting point.

Have you noticed that some people just walk around angry? Those people seem miserable. Angry people rationalize their anger by saying “someone else caused them to be this way.” No one has that power over another person unless the person has no discipline or self control.

We should be angry about children who are trafficked. People going hungry or being marginalized by others should incite us to do something. This is righteous anger, the same anger Jesus displayed. Getting angry because you got cut off in traffic is ridiculous.

Be disciplined in every moment. Listen more. Talk less. Take action when the Spirit moves you…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Man vs. Machine

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a complex combination of mathematics, philosophy, neuroscience and computer science. It seems the world is just now waking up to what AI is, but its roots go all the way back to the time of Aristotle and Plato.

Early iterations of AI were rules-based. For example, if this happens then this must happen. There’s no real intelligence in that because it offered predicable outcomes to the machine. As AI has evolved through very powerful GPUs, its ability to think has evolved with this technology. As impressive as AI is nowadays, it still has limitations.

Using AI as a search engine is preferable to Google because it doesn’t carry biases like Google does. Research should be as neutral as possible so the learner can use human intelligence to think for themselves. No matter how great AI becomes, it cannot replace the human brain, the most powerful supercomputer God gifted us.

There are AI-generated companions available. This is sad to me. We live in the most connected era ever, but loneliness has reached epidemic levels. These AI “friends” are dangerous. Artificial Intelligence doesn’t always align with human values.

My encouragement to you is to use perspective when putting AI to work. It can never replace individual thought and reasoning. You have a history which helped formulate your beliefs that AI can never have. Be judicious, which requires human thought…

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Spirituality

Faithfulness

Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Its name goes all the way back to 1870. There are hundreds of other geysers in the park, but none with the notoriety of Old Faithful. It erupts every 60-100 minutes without pause.

To be considered a faithful person means you are reliable, steadfast and loyal. Your loyalty could be to a person or a cause. To be called faithful is quite the compliment. It means you will stand up for someone, even when they aren’t around. That kind of person is a treasure. Keep them!

The Book of Hebrews tells us that “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” This reminds me of the story of the man who brought his son to Jesus so his son could be healed. The man was full of doubt because he had tried everything to cure his child. He asked Jesus to heal his boy, “if you can.” Jesus replied, “everything is possible for one who believes.” The man asked Jesus to “help him with his unbelief.” Jesus didn’t turn away or tell the man to return when he had more faith. No, he commanded the demon to leave the boy. The man’s tiny faith was enough.

Our faith tends to grow when we are in distress. Crying out to God in these moments is an act of desperation. But inside, you know he can do anything. That’s why we ask.

Being a person of faith is not an easy thing. You have an invisible enemy attacking you every chance he gets. But it’s good to know that he can’t do anything God doesn’t allow. Stay faithful in the dark, difficult times. Ask God to help you with your own unbelief. I certainly do…

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Spirituality

As You Can Be

Thomas Edison only had about two months of formal schooling. His insatiable curiosity got him labeled as “addled,” or slow, by his teacher. Little Thomas’s mother pulled him out of school and taught him at home.

Edison’s mother saw his curiosity as a gift. She encouraged him to read books about a variety of subjects including art, science, and philosophy. Edison wasn’t dumb or slow. He just didn’t fit into the rigid teaching style of the mid-19th century. Thomas Edison had a remarkable mother who saw him as he could be.

Isn’t this how God sees us, not as we are but as we can become? We were created with a great purpose for our lives. Our purpose isn’t to argue about politics online. No, we are here to make a difference for mankind. When we do something to help someone who cannot do anything for us, it’s in those moments that we most resemble our Creator.

Edison went on to be a name recognized all over the world. When he died, Edison held 1,093 U. S. Patents. Not bad for an addled mind…

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Spirituality

The Art of Listening

We live in a noisy world. It seems like most people just want to call attention to themselves. Some even do outrageous things to grab attention. And how many times have you been in conversations where the other person hears you, but they aren’t listening?

Being a good listener can be exhausting. It requires a lot of energy to clear your mind and focus on your counter party’s words and meanings. You can tell when someone is formulating a response in their mind before you finish speaking. This is both rude and disrespectful. If you are engaging in conversation with someone, have the decency to hear them out. And it goes both ways.

You have probably heard the saying about “the smartest person in the room.” Maybe that has been you in some instances. Yet, it’s important to remember that we can learn something from just about everyone. You won’t learn anything if you are arrogant and self-righteous. If you feel the need to tell the world how smart you are, you might not be that bright. It’s a good idea to humble yourself and listen.

Keep your mind open to the beliefs and ideas of others. Your fellow man is important. When you take the time to listen, you are showing others that they are valuable…

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